Will big biotech giants destroy Mexican corn? Join us and say no!

The Mexican government is likely to authorise the cultivation of genetically engineered (GE) corn in Mexico. And until now Mexican citizens, with the help of organisations like Greenpeace, have managed to prevent agribusiness giants like Monsanto, DuPont and Dow AgroSciences from gaining approval in Mexico for genetically engineered corn.

Mexico is the birthplace of corn, what is known as the "centre of origin" where the original genetic pool of worldwide corn is preserved and should be protected from genetic contamination.

Why?

It's like a genetic storehouse. If current corn varieties planted on a large scale around the world were affected by a fatal disease, it is essential to be able to go back to the centre of origin and find a variety resistant to that disease. There are risks to our food security if planting of GE corn in Mexico goes ahead. If Mexico is contaminated with GE corn, and if it reduces the existing biodiversity of corn, it might limit our ability to find a suitable replacement.

Recommendations to protect Mexico's corn have come from many quarters. Following an official visit to Mexico, Olivier de Schutter, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, recommended in a January 2012 report that the Mexican President should reinstate the moratorium on GE corn, both because of its impact on biodiversity and on farmers' rights.

The Mexican government ignored this recommendation.

Greenpeace Mexico asked its citizens to send an email to the President of Mexico. Over 30,000 have already responded.

GE corn should not be planted in Mexico. We need to be able to go back to the centre of origin, which is Mexico and find a variety of corn not affec...

GE corn should not be planted in Mexico. We need to be able to go back to the centre of origin, which is Mexico and find a variety of corn not affected by any disease which may or could affect other varieties of corn.

Whilst I am not against every single GE plant, I am mostly concerned about the negative impacts of Monsato made GE products and the heavy patent suein...

Whilst I am not against every single GE plant, I am mostly concerned about the negative impacts of Monsato made GE products and the heavy patent sueing involved, plus the negative effects the products of this very company leave behind.

They had been outrageous, money grubbing, and dreadful in their ways.

Very glad to see that Greenpeace has the courage to call this giant a bully.